How do you shine in a room full of bright minds?
As a design lead with nearly a decade of creative industry experience, I get the privilege to mentor, and I often get asked “How do I stand out from the crowd and get noticed above my peers”?
During my career I’ve found three ways to stand out from the crowd:
- Pick up where others left off. Find something that no one wants to do anymore, and be the go-to person for it.
- Discover paths others have yet to explore. Find something that no one around has expertise in and be the one people turn to for answers.
- Raise your hand when others hesitate. Always be willing to volunteer for new opportunities. Force yourself outside of your comfort zone.
Pick up where others left off.
Early in my design career my manager gave me the thankless title of “HTML email guy”. At the start I had to adjust to the learning curve, but after I figured it out I realized it was a small area that had value. Better yet no one else wanted to do it anymore so I made it my own. People came up to me years after I had moved on and become a team lead and still asked me questions about HTML emails.
Doing forgotten grunt work isn’t the destination, however. In the end you’re trying to be seen as an expert or a thought leader to some degree. You’re trying to expand your sphere of influence, and it doesn’t happen all at once.
Find that go-to thing, and own it!
Discover paths others have yet to explore.
So how do you find innovative things that no one else is doing?
In your spare time, find new skills you can bring into your work. Maybe you’re a researcher who loves data analysis. Perhaps you’re a designer who loves to create infographics and data visualizations. Dedicate time outside of work to sharpening skills. Then find small ways to incorporate them into your work projects.
You won’t distinguish yourself from your peers by only doing the work you’re assigned and then going home. If you want to rise above the rest, then you need to find ways to create those opportunities.
Find your side hustle, and find out how to bring value to your role at work.
The IBM user story mapping work that Eric Morrow and I have recently done has become the vehicle I needed.
Finding the right one
Some folks struggle to find one thing to focus on while others struggle to narrow their options.
I believe there’s a Venn diagram of what you’re passionate about and want to get noticed for and what the company values. If those two circles never overlap then you’ll leave the company. You’ll be left feeling as though no one listens to your good ideas, and you’ll be asking why no one seems to value your opinion.
Ultimately if you don’t challenge yourself to make those two circles become one circle, then you only have yourself to blame.
I know that sounds harsh, but if you’re not finding ways to show why your passions have value to your organization or your company, then that’s on you. Nobody is going to hand you opportunities out of the blue.
The things that don’t fall within the Venn diagram circle, those are called hobbies. There’s nothing wrong with them. Continue to pursue those things, especially if they bring you joy and fulfillment and improve your quality of life. But don’t look at those things and wonder why no one else cares about them and think that that’s all they should care about. You have to make them care!
You have to give them a reason for your name to be at the top of the list. Even if it’s talking to your manager and letting them know that you want to be doing more.
The dirty little secret behind self-promotion
So you found something you can own, that will make you the go-to person at your company? Excellent!
Are you letting people know about it? Why not?
Creatives struggle to understand the value of promoting the work that they do. People think that they’ll be viewed as conceited when in reality it’s not about to tooting your own horn.
A balance can be stuck. If you know who you are as a person, then you know what makes you feel true to who you are and what level of self-promotion you’re comfortable doing.
Ask yourself:
What’s the balance between promoting the work I’m doing as a way to bring visibility to the things I’m trying to achieve and self-promotion as a way to boost my ego?
It’s not about people knowing your work so that you can brag about yourself. The more you pursue bringing visibility to the work that you’re doing the more you’re really raising a hand and saying “does anyone want to collaborate with me?”
That happened for me with user story mapping by collaborating with Eric.
Just because you want to do something that brings you visibility doesn’t mean you don’t look for people to make you stronger. Doing work that brings visibility to who you are as a contributor within a team or organization doesn’t have to be done in isolation.
What you need to say to yourself is: “I bet I’m not the only person to have this issue.”
When you take that approach then you’re challenged to look through your network of colleagues to find people who can help you get the job done.
As you try to make yourself better, you’ll actually find ways to make the organization and people around you better.
Raise your hand when others hesitate.
Before coming to IBM I worked at a company called Red Ventures in Charlotte, NC. Although I don’t work there anymore that job taught me the value of stepping outside of my comfort zone.
At the time I felt that working there was my first real tech job. It was the first time I’d worked at a company that had more than 1,000 people. As a result there were constantly side projects and extra opportunities outside of my product team. It didn’t take long for me to realize that those opportunities were great ways to supplement gaps in my skillset and meet new people in the company.
It was like getting paid to network and accelerate my career!
Be willing to take on new opportunities outside of your day-to-day responsibilities even if they make you a little uncomfortable, and you’ll be surprised what that does for your career.
Let it be known.
Finally, you succeed quicker when you let people know how to help you.
Have you told your manager that you’re interested in learning business development or that you’d like to take a stab at some data viz work on your next project? Do they know what opportunities you’re looking for? Maybe it’s time to be more vocal about your ambitions.
Your manager can’t help you achieve success if you don’t share that information with them. However, that doesn’t mean to sit around and wait for them to hand you your big break.
You’ve got a lot of potential. Don’t wait for the opportunities. Make them!
